John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame, Arlington National Cemetery

The John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame has been in continuous service for over 30 years, experiencing various upgrades and modifications throughout its existence. Arlington National Cemetery’s maintenance staff recognized that the flame’s existing components were reaching the end of their useful life and in need of replacement.

The eternal flame’s utility lines feeding into the existing control system were severely corroded, and the flame was running on the last of the two custom-built spare burners.

Mason & Hanger initially completed a survey of the eternal flame’s existing conditions. The team created design ideas for improving and modernizing the existing system. We made recommendations to improve maintenance access and reduce the annual operating cost.